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For one week last August, Hampton Roads followed the progress of a sickly young sei whale as she swam erratically in the rivers and creeks of the Chesapeake Bay before she finally died. A necropsy found the whale had ingested a sharp, rigid shard from a plastic DVD case, which sliced her stomach lining and prevented her from feeding. The news that a bit of plastic trash killed a great whale saddened but didn't surprise the Stranding Response Team at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach. As the aquarium's research coordinator Susan Barco told National Geographic earlier this month, "It was a preventable death." Barco was referring to...

Related "Biology" Articles

For one week last August, Hampton Roads followed the progress of a sickly young sei whale as she swam erratically in the rivers and creeks of the Chesapeake Bay before she finally died.
A necropsy found the whale had ingested a sharp, rigid shard from...

When seafood lovers think Virginia, they think oysters and blue crabs — two iconic species of the Chesapeake Bay.
But when it comes to seafood revenue, neither the oyster nor the blue crab is the cash cow that the little sea scallop represents for the...

The first time Drew Weisenberger used his PhytoPET scanner to watch radioactive carbon move through a plant, he chose a stalk of barley.
The blade was about six inches long, and the stem another six. He exposed the blade tip to carbon dioxide gas with...

POQUOSON — Poquoson Elementary School kids are learning about the life cycle of monarch butterflies, how to identify their sex and the name of their bodily fluids all before releasing them into the wild at their "outdoor classroom."
"Did...

The forecast for bigger dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay this summer finally bore out last month — at least for the upper bay.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported the eighth largest dead zone on record for early August, a...

Michael Katz has the opportunity to pursue a boyhood dream, but that doesn't mean his decision was cut-and-dried.
William and Mary's slugging junior first baseman and the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year signed with the New York Mets on...

NEWPORT NEWS — The rescue went without a hitch. William and Mary wildlife biologist Libby Mojica slipped out onto a catwalk off the James River Bridge and scooped up two peregrine falcon chicks from their nesting box 150 feet above the water.
The...

A coastal ecology course will be held over the summer in a partnership between Rappahannock Community College and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
The course includes three weeks of online academic work and two weeks of field work at VIMS,...

While the technicians at the state's forensics labs don't have the ability to figure out what someone looks like based on a DNA sample or learn the results of crime scene evidence instantly and easily like some popular TV shows depict, experts in fields...

HAMPTON — Ten travel-weary high school students came to shore around noon Saturday at Fort Monroe nearly 80 miles from where they first started their paddle down the James River in Richmond.
After eight days on the water, the group completed the third...

Holy mackerel — fish are smart! And sensitive!
That’s the conclusion an Australian biologist draws after reviewing voluminous scientific literature.
Culum Brown of Macquarie University in Sydney claims years of evidence show fish can multi-task, have...

Last year, Virginia witnessed the worst mass dolphin die-off in its history as more than 300 bottlenose dolphins began stranding — about five times the annual average.
Marine biologists were flummoxed. They suspected a deadly morbillivirus, and stranding...

Here is the compilation of SOL scores for the Gloucester County Public School System as received from the Virginia Department of Education. It lists each subject and the first set of numbers are last year's pass rate followed by this year's pass rate...

For many folks, Bay Days means live music, crafters, food trucks and beer on a sunny September weekend.
While not about to abandon a successful formula, Bay Days organizers often talk about pulling the focus of Hampton's biggest outdoor festival back...

You are cordially invited to a special coming-out party — the release of Norfolk Botanical Garden's three motherless eaglets, now grown and ready to head back into the wild.
The event, open to the public, happens at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 27, at...

Biologists expect tick and mosquito populations to thrive this spring, largely because mild temperatures from last winter failed to kill off a large population of the disease-carrying pests.Technicians in Hampton are already finding mosquito larvae...

Note: This article appeared in Tuesday's Daily PressLike many people, Rick Viancour has been awestruck by the sudden abundance of mushrooms in Hampton Roads.The sense of wonderment abates, however, when he arrives at work.As superintendent of the...

Laura Bauer, who starred at New Kent High, graduated in May from Randolph-Macon College after compiling an impressive array of achievements in softball and academics.She was on the dean's list and the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference Academic Team...

A recent gathering of “Master Oyster Gardeners” at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is the latest chapter in a fruitful partnership between VIMS scientists and members of the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association, or TOGA, according to a VIMS...

Thomas Nelson Community College christened its new Historic Triangle building with a grand opening ceremony Friday afternoon. The building is three stories tall and 120,000 square feet.
In addition to classrooms, it includes a bookstore, computer labs, a...